The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for trapping and killing insects, particularly the biting type (e.g. mosquitoes). The invention combines a housing with at least one conduit to lure insects therein.
While flying insects, particularly those that pollinate, are indispensable to the overall balance of nature, there also exist many types that pose a hindrance to the enjoyment of the outdoors. Depending on the location and time of year, biting insects can be extremely annoying to humans to the point where, for example, simply being outside on a warm summer evening may be fraught with a seemingly endless onslaught from mosquitoes and other bugs. Even more significant than simply causing discomfort, bites from flying insects, particularly mosquitoes, are known to spread a number of diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, and more recently, West Nile Virus.
To date, various insect traps have been in use and many such traps rely on high voltage, poisonous bait, or insecticides that may be present as foul-smelling fumes or dust particles that are harmful to human and animal life. The commonly used zapper-type instruments that electrocute insects are known to produce unpleasant crackling or sizzling sounds, especially when a large insect (e.g. a moth) is boiled from the inside. Furthermore, these products can also emit unappetizing odors that can detract from the pleasantness of outdoor dining and other activities. Overall, poisons and voltage as means of killing insects share in the additional drawback that they pose a danger to humans (especially children) and animals that may come into contact with devices employing such means either inadvertently or out of curiosity.
Other apparatuses known in the art use less harmful methods to trap and/or exterminate insects. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,826 B1 provides a combination of ultraviolet light, a low voltage grid array, and a unit to supply additional energy to ensure the trapped insect""s death. In another approach, U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,556 B1 uses a fan to suck insects into an enclosure by inducing a sub-ambient pressure therein, along with an insect-attracting light mounted on the inside of an opening to the enclosure. These devices require power to be supplied to a multiplicity of separate components and introduce the possibility that failure of any one of these components will render the apparatus largely ineffective.
Simpler traps are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,212,129 B1, 3,820,273 B1, 1,981,683 B1 and 836,052 B1. However, these disclosures do not address the ease with which the sequestered insects can escape through the openings that allow their entry into the trap. Of these, U.S. Pat. No. 1,981,683 B1 has the further disadvantage of being difficult to clean. Other patents, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 869,556 and 720,990 require the use of poison to kill trapped insects before they can emerge from the trap.
In contrast to the prior art, the present invention provides an insect trap that is simple to operate, meaning that the need for multiple electrical or electro-mechanical parts is avoided. Also, both indoor and outdoor use are appropriate, cleaning is easy, and special precautions associated with high voltage or poisonous chemicals are unnecessary. In addition to these considerations relating to simplicity and low cost, the insect trap of the present invention is effective in providing a broad region of illumination that draws insects from virtually all directions while simultaneously preventing their escape. The degree of brightness emanating from the insect trap make it useful for illuminating areas of outdoor nighttime activities. Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide an insect trap that selectively exterminates insects of the biting type, which are most harmful to humans, while leaving populations of environmentally beneficial and other non-biting insects largely unharmed.
In one embodiment, the present invention is an insect trap comprising a housing substantially enclosing an interior space for trapping and killing insects. At least one conduit is provided for allowing insects to enter the interior space. The conduit is attached to or formed from the housing and narrows in cross sectional area to a conduit end open to the interior space. The trap also includes a light bulb socket attached to the housing such that, when a light bulb is in the socket, the light bulb is within about one inch of the conduit end.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is an insect trap comprising a body that includes four funnels of glass or a clear plastic. Each funnel has wide and narrow ends, and each of the wide ends has a top edge, a bottom edge, and side edges. The wide ends of the funnels are joined to one another along their side edges at substantially right angles, while the narrow ends extend into an interior space for trapping and killing insects. The trap includes a lid joined to the top edges of the wide ends of the four funnels, and the lid has at least one vent screen. The lid includes or is attached to a light socket into which a clear glass incandescent light bulb having a power consumption of at least 50 watts is secured. The bulb is within about one inch of each of the narrow ends of the funnels, and at least part of the lid is detachable to allow replacement of the bulb. The insect trap also includes a base joined to each of the bottom edges of the wide ends of the four funnels. The base is adapted to hold a liquid for drowning or poisoning insects, and at least part of the base is detachable to allow cleaning of the trap.
In another embodiment, the present invention is a method for reducing the quantity of flying insects within a localized region. The method comprises positioning and energizing an insect trap in the region. The trap comprises a housing substantially enclosing an interior space for trapping and killing insects. At least one conduit is provided for allowing insects to enter the interior space. The conduit is attached to or formed from the housing and narrows in cross sectional area to a conduit end open to the interior space. The trap also includes a light bulb in a socket attached to the housing. The light bulb is within about 1 inch of the conduit ends and consumes at least about 50 watts of power.